Merck Engineering Scientist Associate reviews

I can only speak for R&D but we are getting a lot of pipeline projects and people are being overworked

The organization is very bureaucratic – multiple layers of approval and endless internal processes slow everything down. As the company gets closer to the patent cliff, work-life balance has clearly worsened. Workload has increased, but support or headcount has not. Teams are understaffed, yet management prioritizes cost-cutting over hiring. There’s a constant expectation to do more without additional resources. Promotions feel rare and unclear. It’s hard to understand what you need to do to move up, and decisions often feel political rather than merit-based. There’s a strong “average” culture where people who contribute a lot and those who do the minimum are treated similarly. This makes it hard to stay motivated, and burnout is very real.